Paraphrasing the Soul Sonic Force and sorting through today`s releases for tunes that could have graced Alfie & Leo’s Amnesia dance-floor…

Esa / A Muto / Isle Of Jura

Recorded in 1985, in Paris, with a team of talented session musicians, Esa’s A Muto, was featured a few years back on Nico Skliris and Hugo Mendez’s essential Nouvelle Ambiance comp. A collection that documented, in depth, the music created by African artists in Paris in the mid to late `80s, and also the nightclubs where these records were spun. Isle Of Jura have now licensed the track from Esa’s founder member, Martin Socko Moukoko, and pressed it, loud, on a 12 with a selection of previously unreleased mixes. The original is big, brassy, tropical, soca-soaked Afro-Caribbean disco. A marvellous Linn Drum and Yamaha DX7 assisted makossa, with lead and group vocals, slapped bass, jazz guitar and a very cool piano solo. Given the opportunity / exposure, it’ll be a huge summer hit.

The double-pack also contains an instrumental and an acapella, plus a “Dubstrumental”, which drops out to just drums, bass and echoed chants. Where tape delay transforms the horns and keyboards into pretty cascades. Finally, there’s a Keys Mix, built from beatless showers of chiming kalimba and kora-like patterns. Like Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint transported to Cameroon.

Flavio / Drum’s Explosion / Miss You

Drum’s Explosion is the sole single released by highly respected Italian classical percussionist, composer, and conductor Flavio Scogna. Recorded, no doubt for fun, in the late 1970s, before he embarked on his illustrious career, it is what it says on the tin, and from terrific trap drumming erupts into a crazy carnival of percussion. Breakneck and busy, bursting with ideas and hooks. With crunchy Clavinet, weird, wobbly synths, and wah-wah effects it was probably intended to be a bit of prog rock / jazz fusion. However, thanks to genius DJ Daniele Baldelli, we’d now call it cosmic disco. Parte 02a uses gong hits to create strange spinning whirlpools of delay, and tops these with a twinkling vibraphone melody. Initially on a rare, and now sought after / expensive 45, Miss You have reissued the tracks on a 12, and added a bonus remix. Appropriately titled Drum Implosion (Parte 10a), since the reverb rinsed rhythm keeps collapsing in on itself – a la a particularly epic Idjut Boys dub – the tune is made over as big booming proto-house. Carried by the kick and radically reshaped by mad use of filters, EQ, and delay. Phasers set to seriously stun.

Pandit Pam Pam / Pass a Wish / Higher Love Recordings

Experimental Sao Paolo-based artist Pandit Pam Pam, founder of Brazilian label, Boston Medical Group, is a somewhat surprising special guest on Higher Love Recordings. Displaying a more accessible side, he’s gifted, granted the Brighton imprint a piece of ethereal, ambient pop called Pass A Wish. A sweet Cafe del Mar-esque confection of programmed percolations, synthetic sighs, cool, kinda blue horn, and whispered, breathless vocals. Deviant dancefloor duo, Jezebell, contribute a couple of re-jigs. Their 50 Ways Mix adds a fucked with break, which, given the title, I suspect was originally sourced from Steve Gadd / Paul Simon. Although, if so, it’s rendered totally unrecognisable. Combined with bubbling, bleeping electronics this turns tremendously funky, while the track- tickled by tasteful trumpet touches – remains pretty chilled and seductive. The Leave Your Lover Mix is more of a “drug chug”. A Balearic beat juggler / shuffler, where the creative couple chop out chopped-up flamenco hand claps into a kinda punk-funk Iko Iko mutant.

Space Ghost / Dream Tool / Peace World Records

Oakland’s Space Ghost launches his label, Peace World Records, with a 4-track E.P. Like Coeo’s latest offering, it looks back to, and updates, 80s and 90s house. Rather than big room bangers, though, the results here are delicate, detailed, deep and serene. “Raise your hands” drum rolls swapped for dramatic cymbal crashes. East Of The Lake and Dream Tool both feature Mr. Fingers-like B-lines, classic keys and swells. The former is particularly groovy, the bass like a Juno 60 vamping on Lonnie Liston Smith. Twisting, turning more acidic as it “expands”. Homeworld has gated ethereal vocals. Heavenly, angelic, with a slower, but heavier beat. On Prism, sequences mimic whales and dolphins, echoing Aphrodisiac’s seminal Nu Groove side, Song Of The Siren, while a robotic reed / synthesised sax pays homage to vintage Italian gear, and the production tips its hat to Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper.

Surface / Falling In Love / Be With Records

Be With Records’ latest reissue focuses on New Jersey R&B trio Surface. On one side of the 12 you’ll find the band’s debut, and undoubtedly their best known tune, Falling In Love. The sort of thing that would have been a Larry Levan staple at the Paradise Garage, it’s a blissed-out bit of sweet `80s boogie, with a damn fine flute solo, plus pioneering DJ Shep Pettibone’s on the mix. If you haven’t heard the OG then you might recognise the song from Shelia Hylton’s popular lovers rock cover. The Love Mix of Surface’s third single, Happy, holes up on the B-side. A super stripped back, TR-808 driven dub, this must have been one of the tracks that helped set the template for `90s UK street soul.